Secondly, Thou art liable to the next damnable heresy that the devil sendeth into the world. See and consider Luke 8:13; 2 Timothy 2:18. I say, thou dost lie liable to be carried away with it, and to be captivated by it; so that at last, through the delusions of the devil, thou mayest have thy conscience seared as with an hot iron, so hard, that neither law, nor gospel, can make any entrance thereinto, to the doing of thee the least good. And indeed, who are the men that at this day are so deluded by the quakers, and other pernicious doctrines; but those who thought it enough to be talkers of the gospel, and grace of God, without seeking and giving all diligence to make it sure unto themselves? 'And for this cause God' [shall send] hath sent 'them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness,' as it is written (2 Thess 2:11,12). And indeed if you mark it, you shall see, that they be such kind of people, who at this day are so carried away with the quakers' delusions; namely, a company of loose ranters, and light notionists, with here and there a legalist, which were shaking in their principles from time to time, sometimes on this religion, sometimes on that.[1] And thus these unstable souls are deluded and beguiled at last (2 Peter 2:14). So that these who before (as one would have thought) had something of God in them, are now turned such enemies to the glorious truths of the gospel, that there are none so obstinately erroneous as they. And indeed it is just with God, to give them over to 'believe a lie' (2 Thess 2:11), who before were so idle that they would not receive the truth of God into their hearts, in the love of it. And to be bewitched by the devil to obey his temptations, and be damned, who would not obey the truth, that they might be saved (Gal 3:1).
But you will say, what lies are those, that the devil beguileth poor souls withal? I shall briefly tell you some of them, but having before said, that they especially are liable to the danger of them, who slip into high notions, and rest there; taking that for true faith which is not. I shall desire thee seriously to consider this one character of a NOTIONIST. Such an one, whether he perceives it or not, is puffed up in his fleshly mind, and advanceth himself above others, thinking but few may compare with him for religion and knowledge in the scriptures, but are ignorant and foolish in comparison of him: (Thus knowledge puffeth up, (1 Cor 8:1)) whereas when men receive truth in the love of the truth, the more the head and heart is filled with the knowledge of the mystery of godliness, the more it is emptied of its own things, and is more sensible of its own vileness, and so truly humbled in its own eyes.
And further, a notionist, though he fall from his former strictness and seeming holiness, and appear more loose, and vain in his practices, yet speaks as confidently of himself, as to assurance of salvation, the love of God, and union with God, as ever. But now to return, and declare some of those lies which the devil persuades some of these men to believe.
I. That salvation was not fully, and completely wrought out for poor sinners by the man Christ Jesus, though he did it gloriously (Acts 13:38,39), by his death upon the cross, without the gates of Jerusalem (Heb 13:12 compared with John 19:19,20).
II. This is another of his lies wherewith he doth deceive poor sinners, bidding them follow the light that they brought into the world with them, telling them, that light will lead them to the kingdom; for (say they) it will convince of sin, as swearing, lying, stealing, covetousness, and the rest of the sins against the law (Rom 3:20). But 'the law is not of faith' (Gal 3:13). And then I am sure, that it, with all its motions and convictions, is never able to justify the soul of any poor sinner. 'For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them' (Gal 3:10), but that no man is justified by the law is evident, 'for, The just shall live by faith' (v 11). Now because I am not altogether ignorant of the delusion of the devil touching this grace of faith also, I shall therefore in short give thee (reader) a brief, yet true description from the scripture. 1. What true justifying faith is, and what it lays hold upon. 2. I shall shew who it doth come from. 3. That every one hath it not. 4. What are the fruits of it.
1. First therefore, true faith is a fruit, work, or gift of the Spirit of God (Gal 5:22; 2 Thess 1:11; 1 Cor 12:9) whereby a poor soul is enabled through the mighty operation of God (Col 2:12) in a sense of its sins and wretched estate to lay hold on the righteousness, blood, death, resurrection, ascension, intercession, and coming again of the Son of God which was crucified without the gates of Jerusalem, for eternal life (John 3:16-18 compared with Matt 3:17; Gal 2:20; Rom 5:8-10; Rom 3:25; Acts 16:31; Heb 13:12) according to that saying in Hebrews 11:1 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,' and 'the evidence of things not seen,' that is, the things that are hoped for faith sees, lays hold upon, and embraces them (Heb 11:13) as if they were present; yea, it seals up the certainty of them to the soul. Therefore saith the Apostle, it is the evidence, or testimony, or witness, of those things that are not seen as yet with a bodily eye; which are obtained by the blood of the man Christ Jesus (Heb 9:14 compared with Heb 10:12,19,20) by which the soul sees as in a glass the things that God hath laid up for them that fear him (1 Cor 13:12; 2 Cor 3:18).
2. If you would know who this faith comes from, read Ephesians 2:8 'For by grace ye are saved [saith the scripture] through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.' Again, in Philippians 1:29 it is thus written: 'For unto you [that are believers] it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake'; And thus much do the Apostles hold forth to us in their prayer, or request to the Lord Jesus, when they say, 'Lord increase our faith' (Luke 17:5), and he is therefore called 'the author and finisher of our faith' (Heb 12:2). Also we find in James 1:17 that 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,' &c., and therefore faith comes from God, for true justifying faith is a good gift, and perfect in respect of the author God, in respect of its object, Christ; and in respect of the nature, though not in respect of the degree, and measure of it in us: even as a grain of gold, is as perfect gold, as a pound of gold, though not so much.
3. All men have not faith, this the Apostle witnesseth in so many words as we find (2 Thess 3:2; Deut 32:20). Also in Timothy 1:15 'Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure,' &c. It appeareth also in this, that all do not attain salvation, which they must needs do if they had true justifying faith (compare Luke 13:24 and 1 John 5:19 with Mark 16:16. And Heb 4:3 with vv 6 and 11 'they that believe shall be saved').
4. The fruits of it are, (1.) to purify the heart (Acts 15:9; 1 John 3:3), and that, as I said before, by laying hold on what Jesus Christ had done and suffered for sinners (Acts 13:38,39). (2.) It fills the soul with peace and joy, in that it lays hold on the things that are obtained for it (Rom 5:1; 2 Tim 1:9,10; 1 Peter 1:8). (3.) It makes the soul to wait patiently, for the glory that is to be revealed at the second appearing of the man Christ Jesus, whom God hath raised from the dead, which hath also delivered it from the wrath to come, as in Timothy 2:13, 14; 1 Peter 4:13 and 5:1, 4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.
Quest.—But how (may some say) doth the devil make his delusions take place in the hearts of poor creatures?